Intro and a question... Help?

[d.g.]

(Sorry this is so long, I just don't know what to cut!)

 

I'm not sure that I belong here, but I'm having an issue with my bright 8yo DS that doesn't seem to "fit" on the general K-8 board, and any way I try to phrase my question, it sounds like bragging even though that's not my intent. At the very least, I might not have to self-edit as much over here. So, care to help me with my freak-out?

 

Background:

 

Me: Labelled "gifted" in 4th/5th grade, I was in a pull-out program until several cross-state and cross-country moves in quick succession led to someone losing my school files. My mother refused to advocate for me at the next school, so I was put/left in regular classes through the end of high school. I was BORED OUT OF MY MIND. Most of my "gifts" to this day are creative and language-oriented, though I'm a terrible underachiever. (Just ask all the people who nagged me about "living up to my potential" :glare:)

 

DH: He's extremely intelligent. MIL says his IQ tested at 160 as a child. I don't know if that's exaggeration, but testing upon entry to the US Navy seems to back it up. He had a miserable experience in school, where his only "accelleration" was being given extra work (at the same level) in addition to his regular class work. In some cases his attempts to be creative and get engaged in something at a higher level were actively squashed. If I had to describe him, I'd say he's globally gifted.

 

Our combined experiences with school are what led us to decide to homeschool any children we might have.

 

Enter The Boys: DS 8 and DS newly-3. Both bright, curious little guys. I'm told they'd probably test as at least mildly gifted (and in DS 8's case, ADHD as well), but I've always just accepted them and tried to meet them where they're at. Until recently, that's been pretty easy, but now I've hit a point with DS 8 where I don't know how best to help him.

 

(And yet more background, annoying though it is...)

 

DS 8 was the baby who wasn't a prodigy, but was always right at the front of the curve for milestones. He learned to talk early, great vocabulary, ALWAYS talking and asking questions. He didn't read early but soon after he turned 5, I took a sanity break from even informal teaching and he went from sounding out CVC words to reading solid chapter books in the span of a couple months. I had to remediate some bad habits with Phonics Pathways (and still have to fight him sometimes when he comes upon a word he doesn't recognize) but he mostly taught himself to read while I was busy with other things. He's done this plateau thing several times, mostly in math. One day I'm beating my head against a wall because he just. doesn't. get. it. A week later, it's like a 1000 watt bulb went off over his head and I'm suddenly struggling to figure out what happened.

 

Anyway, by the time he was a late 1st grader, he was picking up The BFG, Trumpet of the Swan, and similar level books *for fun*. He's very VERY creative, and a hilarious storyteller. His writing leaves a bit to be desired, but "it's HARD" and he'd rather be reading/drawing/creating/playing/anything than doing something that takes that level of physical effort and concentration. He's also a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to "getting things wrong" so he freaks out when I use pen while correcting his work.

 

I tested him with the DORA last August as a 7yo rising 2nd grader. He maxed out the Phonics, High Frequency Words, and Word Recognition subtest scores. His Oral Vocab subtest score was mid-5th, and his Reading Comprehension score was mid-3rd. He'd have done better on that last subtest, but he had trouble with the "can't go back to check the passage" part and kept freaking out. The only score close to grade level was spelling. That particular ability has taken a HUGE leap in the last two months, and similar leaps in others, to where I'm now scrambling to figure out where to place him in pretty much all of his language arts subjects. I'm not sure I want to go the DORA route again, but my MIL has offered to administrate the ITBS/CogAT. (That's a whole other thread, though...)

 

We're currently doing a "school lite" schedule with only math, grammar/language review, and a huge helping of logic, problem solving, and analogies while I figure things out. DS is RACING through the analogies. He'll be done with Scholastic's Analogies 2-3 by the end of the week, and we just started two weeks ago. I've had to limit him to 4-5 pages a day to make the book last until I can get another ink cartridge and print out Analogies 4-5. He's also already on lesson 14/15 of Logic Countdown, which we started last week. (I'm hoping that he'll slow down once we get to the "all statments" and "no statements" sections, but who knows?)

 

Here's the problem... all of the grade-level and just-above grade level work I'm giving him is too easy to challenge him, but he's starting to hit a wall on higher level work. He just doesn't have the vocabulary and in some cases the necessary context/life experience to keep going at this pace. For now, he's been asking me to define words he doesn't know and can't figure out on his own. He isn't keen on picking up my old collegiate dictionary, and I don't blame him, the print is microscopic! For the context issues, I've just had to explain what the word/sentence/reference means.

 

To be honest, I'm getting burned out, and tired of feeling like his personal walking dictionary/thesaurus/encyclopedia/reference set. I don't want to rein him in, though, when he's finally showing his true abilities (instead of taking the easy road so he can go play sooner!) If I add a vocabulary program to our studies, he'll probably have a nuclear meltdown, but he needs *something* and sooner rather than later. Add to all this that we're extremely financially strapped and can't afford any more school purchases for a while, and I'm ready to pull my hair out!!!

 

If you've made it this far, I applaud you, and appreciate that you've made the effort. :D

 

Now... how do I manage this without driving myself completely insane? 'Cause right now, this is me: :willy_nilly:

[jenbrdsly]

Two thoughts... From the SENG conference last year I got the impression that Kansas public schools had a lot to offer in terms of gifted programs, but maybe that was just Lawrence and Hutchinson. Is that a possibility where you live? Or maybe there might be a SENG parent support group in your area?

Second off, your son might have fun this summer reading through one of the reading lists I have on my blog here, here or here with you in some sort of shared capacity. They have really helped my own son with context and vocabulary issues. We just went to see "Brave" this past weekend which also included a trailer for "Frankenweenie". Afterwards we were able to talk about the Kafka and Frankenstein references.

Good luck!

[Kathy G]

I think you definitely belong here...

 

One of mine hit this point too. We had a summer of reading a ton of nonfiction as that really helped with vocabulary and explanations of how things work. About 2-3 months later the phase passed and we could go on.

 

I still get daily questions from them all. Sometimes I tell them I have run out of answers and take a break....

Edited June 27, 2012 by Kathy G
autocorrect hates me

[Barbara H]

A few ideas...

 

1. We found a little hand held electronic dictionary was really nice during this time period. Sure, you can look up words online for free, but something about that little handheld device was appealing. Maybe something to think about down the road for a birthday. It is a good bridge between a kid's dictionary and a more serious collegiate dictionary.

 

2. I'm wondering if rather than trying to proceed through curriculum, if it might work better to focus more on interest directed studies for a while. Maybe unit studies such as astronomy. There should be lots of free resources online and through the library. The leveling off on progress is a very normal thing for gifted kids and rather than fight it or fight asynchrony there can be a relief in just doing something really different for a while.

 

3. Does he know how to type? Maybe a good time to start working on keyboarding. As far as correcting his work, you could always have a copy and sit side by side and point stuff out and let him mark it.

[nova147]

2. I'm wondering if rather than trying to proceed through curriculum, if it might work better to focus more on interest directed studies for a while. Maybe unit studies such as astronomy. There should be lots of free resources online and through the library. The leveling off on progress is a very normal thing for gifted kids and rather than fight it or fight asynchrony there can be a relief in just doing something really different for a while.

 

 

:iagree:

 

It sounds like he is in a voracious learning mode. This might be a great time for YOU to take a break. Don't teach him. Let him learn. Give him tools (books, safe websites, paper, crafts supplies) and let him fly. In a few months, he'll come back to earth and you can move along with normal school stuff. Until the next time. :D

 

Welcome to the club. ;)

[Nicholas_mom]

:thumbup: Yep, you belong here. I just had this happen with my 9 yrs old, in the past year. So, I am still learning around here.:tongue_smilie:

[EKS]

Have you tried an electronic dictionary? Ours has been an attitude changer.

 

Or better yet, a Kindle with a dictionary built in.

[Kathy G]

Kai- Which electronic dictionary do you use? I keep checking them out and then never decide!

 

Kathy

[Punks in Ontario]

If you have an ipod/ipad, there are free dictionaries available. My ds8 and ds9 can use them quite easily.

[d.g.]

We don't have an ipod or ipad, but I do have a Kindle Fire, and we use the dictionary feature all the time during read-alouds. I'm not sure I want him playing with my precious by himself, though, even supervised... :D Maybe we can save up for a Kindle of some variety for his Christmas present this year.

 

In the meantime, I'll second the question about electronic dictionaries... is there one that's better than others?

 

And thanks for the advice. We have a lot of other things going on right now, and this really threw me. I'll get used to it eventually, right?

[serendipitous journey]

For a precocious child at a time when there's not much money for curricula: have you looked at Ambleside Online? the readings are quite sophisticated, and many resources are available in the public domain.

 

You might also like some resources from the recent vintage science thread, which should exist in the public domain (in many cases).

 

To enrich math inexpensively, try the MEP curriculum. You can put the lesson plans (essentially your instructor's guides) up on a computer while you teach, and if printing is too expensive I've found many of the worksheet problems can be drawn on paper.

 

If you have a DVD player, and access to a decent library system (esp. if there is cross-library lending available) DVDs are a terrific way to learn content, esp. for science and history. They will watch the same show many times and keep learning, if it interests them. This is also easy for mama :).

 

My child (Button) has a very different temperament to your son, but I will say that I've found he thrives with "school heavy" rather than "school lite". Unfortunately for me. :D Is it possible that adding in readings, narrations/dictations, &c. for history and science (maybe a la Ambleside) would make your lives easier? but this could be just my own blinders on: right now I'm sort of gloomy, 'cause I wanted a summer break and the School Lite is causing Button to implode. :tongue_smilie:

 

last thought: vintage drawing text, Augsburg.

[anabelneri]

My daughter is relatively similar to your son, and some of what folks have suggested here have worked well for us.

 

1) Learning to type: this opens up a lot of online possibilities, and allows them to get their words on paper faster than if they handwrite. Also, once he can type, he can use the internet to answer his own questions.

 

2) Ambleside, but we tweak it heavily. I ditch a lot of the science readings (keep the nature stuff) and add in books written for a general adult audience. I'll also tweak the history readings, but that's usually just a personal preference. Almost all of our books come from the library, or we use the free Kindle software.

 

3) Time. Some of the issues you brought up change with time.

 

4) Khan academy has been quite useful. I also love MEP, but Khan has done a great job for us this year.

 

Good luck!

[slackermom]

I got DD7 the American Heritage Student Dictionary for Christmas. The font is readable, there are nice color pictures on almost every page, and it actually has most of the words she wants to look up (unlike regular children's dictionaries). It says it is designed for grades 6-9. It's a little on the heavy side, but no where near as heavy as DH's monster dictionary, so it's not a problem to keep it nearby. Occasionally I find DD on the floor just quietly reading it.

[d.g.]

My responses in purple:

 

For a precocious child at a time when there's not much money for curricula: have you looked at Ambleside Online? the readings are quite sophisticated, and many resources are available in the public domain.

 

I pull a lot of our literature read-alouds from Ambleside and other lists of classics. We're in the middle of two right now: Five Children and It, which I'm reading to both boys at bedtime, and A Wrinkle in Time, which DS 8 has started reading aloud to me while I sew. I'm not sure yet what we'll start next.

 

You might also like some resources from the recent vintage science thread, which should exist in the public domain (in many cases).

 

Cool! I'll have to check it out!

 

To enrich math inexpensively, try the MEP curriculum. You can put the lesson plans (essentially your instructor's guides) up on a computer while you teach, and if printing is too expensive I've found many of the worksheet problems can be drawn on paper.

 

I recently discovered that I can transfer MEP to my Kindle Fire. It's on the list of things to examine... I'm just having trouble finding the uninterrupted time to really sit down and wallow in it. :D

 

If you have a DVD player, and access to a decent library system (esp. if there is cross-library lending available) DVDs are a terrific way to learn content, esp. for science and history. They will watch the same show many times and keep learning, if it interests them. This is also easy for mama :).

 

Three words that have saved my sanity the last two weeks while I was involved in a complicated sewing project: School House Rock. Our library has a HORRIBLE selection, very low checkout limits (25 total books/DVDs/audiobooks for the whole family, no exceptions), ILL is a major hassle with $1-a-day late fees, and it's a 4-mile round-trip walk if we want to go. Not going to happen in this heat.

 

My child (Button) has a very different temperament to your son, but I will say that I've found he thrives with "school heavy" rather than "school lite". Unfortunately for me. :D Is it possible that adding in readings, narrations/dictations, &c. for history and science (maybe a la Ambleside) would make your lives easier? but this could be just my own blinders on: right now I'm sort of gloomy, 'cause I wanted a summer break and the School Lite is causing Button to implode. :tongue_smilie:

 

As long as I stick to some form of structure, DS 8 doesn't care whether what we're doing is light or heavy. He just needs/wants/thrives on the consistent routine. Even though we're not on a "full" load, we're still schooling 2-3+ hours a day. In another two weeks, I'd planned to start back with our full schedule, but first I have to figure out what that will be!

 

last thought: vintage drawing text, Augsburg.

 

Also on the list to examine. Maybe I just need to lock myself in my sewing room this weekend and read read read?

[d.g.]

I got DD7 the American Heritage Student Dictionary for Christmas. The font is readable, there are nice color pictures on almost every page, and it actually has most of the words she wants to look up (unlike regular children's dictionaries). It says it is designed for grades 6-9. It's a little on the heavy side, but no where near as heavy as DH's monster dictionary, so it's not a problem to keep it nearby. Occasionally I find DD on the floor just quietly reading it.

 

 

Nice! It looks like there's a new revised edition coming out on July 17.

[d.g.]

My daughter is relatively similar to your son, and some of what folks have suggested here have worked well for us.

 

1) Learning to type: this opens up a lot of online possibilities, and allows them to get their words on paper faster than if they handwrite. Also, once he can type, he can use the internet to answer his own questions.

 

2) Ambleside, but we tweak it heavily. I ditch a lot of the science readings (keep the nature stuff) and add in books written for a general adult audience. I'll also tweak the history readings, but that's usually just a personal preference. Almost all of our books come from the library, or we use the free Kindle software.

 

3) Time. Some of the issues you brought up change with time.

 

4) Khan academy has been quite useful. I also love MEP, but Khan has done a great job for us this year.

 

Good luck!

 

I'm hoping that typing will help with writing. There's definitely a disconnect between input and output going on here. He will intentially choose shorter words, despite having a good vocabulary, simply because it's easier to write them. He can read a chapter of something in a few minutes, then spend three times as long telling me all about it and about all the zany/fun/creative ideas it's sparked in his brain. Then he'll barely write ten words on paper. He'll be starting back up with BBC Dance Mat typing soon, then on to something else once he's got all the keys down.